Following SSAs approval of the NIH system security plan, a kick-off meeting with SSA and NIH project team members was held January 28, 2009. Discussion regarding data files, the construction of data files and the time frame for receiving SSA data was discussed. Renewal of the SSA IAA with NIH for a second year was completed. NIH began receiving SSA data on February 23, 2009. Extensive effort has been exerted to establish the computer system necessary to conduct this project, both hardware and software. The dedicated project server has been tested and found fully functional and sits behind a dedicated firewall. The following data have been uploaded onto the server: Title II, Title XVI, SSA-831 data, vocational file and Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) file data. The examination of analytical files relative to overall internal validity is in process. Subsequent assessment of external validity and utility of the data in examining SSAs determination process will be forthcoming. Three software programs, SAS, Stata and StatTransfer, needed for statistical analysis have been uploaded and successfully tested. Updates to SAS software have been completed. NIH project researchers, staff and contractors are subject to SSA suitability checks. Checks for newly hired contractors, post-baccalaureate fellow and two additional NIH-DCRI staff are underway; all other suitability checks have been completed. Applications for special sworn status (SSS) have been completed and approved for six project researchers, permitting access to SSA-Census linked data. Completion of annual, SSS on-line training courses will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year. Additionally, NIH researchers with approved SSS will participate in a face-to-face informational training session at a date/time designated by SSA. Two contracts associated with the project have been awarded. The first contract was awarded to New Editions Consulting, Inc. This contract provided funds for a contractor to support the first line of research for the SSA project, the analysis of existing SSA data. NIH investigators have worked closely with the contractor to conduct a thorough literature review, develop an overall research plan, comprehensively examine the SSA disability evaluation process, develop a schematic of this process, develop a conceptual framework for statistical analyses, and formulate potentially testable hypotheses (feasibility of hypothesis testing based on the limitations of the data). The NIH-New Editions collaboration has resulted in a draft manuscript examining current conceptual models of disability relative to SSAs sequential evaluation process. The manuscript will be submitted for publication by the end of the current fiscal year. The NIH-New Editions collaboration also produced an analytical plan, including a preliminary framework for 18 projects. Project investigators have chosen to combine some of the projects and have identified 5 specific projects for development during the course of the present NIH IAA with SSA. The contract with New Editions will conclude Sept 14, 2009. The second contract was awarded to Boston University. This contract supports the second line of research associated with the SSA project which assesses the feasibility of developing CAT instruments that can be integrated into the SSA data collection and determination processes. Awarded on May 18, 2009, work on this contract is in the early stages of identifying key domains for CAT tool development. A project team meeting was held July 7, 2009 with representatives from SSA, BU and NIH convening to discuss and identify SSA domain priorities and potential focus group participants. BU received IRB approval for their effort on the SSA project on July 30, 2009. An NIH OHSR request to establish a reliance agreement is presently in process. The NIH project officer has attended quarterly meetings of SSAs Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (OIDAP). The panels objective is to advise and recommend to SSA plans and activities to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles used in SSAs disability determination process. There are potential linkages between NIHs work with the SSA and the focus of SSAs OIDAP. The NIH project officer is developing opportunities to engage in dialogue and share knowledge between NIH researchers and OIDAP panel members, as a means to enhance and inform mutual efforts.